There's something a little romantic about Meche's comments in
today's New
York Times in which he explained that he couldn't bring
himself to accept any more of the Royals' money given his recent
performance for the team.

But Meche has made plenty of money, so forfeiting $12 million
this year isn't such a big deal for him. The fact that he's
disappointed in himself and feels like he isn't owning up to
his end of the bargain may not be a unique stance in sports, but
while Meche certainly isn't alone in the "under performing
athletes" club, he's the only guy we're aware of that has turned
down such a significant amount of money.

The truth is that Meche's disappointment in himself isn't the
real reason he retired. He was facing his third shoulder
surgery, and a long road of rehab, and his love of the game had
clearly eroded. If Meche's disappointment in his game was
his sole reason for retiring, the real way to handle it would be
to work his butt off, accept some kind of pay cut, and try to
revamp his game. But Meche turned his back on $12 million,
because he no longer had the desire to put that much effort into
the game.

Nine guys out of 10 might "tough it out" for one more season to
pocket that check, but Meche has enough dough that he doesn't
need to do that.